


Part of the Family

by Rosetylars



Series: Nick & Stef [2]
Category: Sports RPF, Tennis RPF
Genre: Card Games, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Rogers cup, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 12:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20243134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosetylars/pseuds/Rosetylars
Summary: Nick is lonely at the beginning of the week in Montreal so he spends some time with Stef and his family.





	Part of the Family

**Author's Note:**

> This follows the events of my previous fic, A Week in Washington, but can also be read on its own. 
> 
> This is set at the beginning of the Montreal tournament last week.
> 
> This is fiction - the people and places are real, but the story is not.

Nick’s first night in Montreal started out pretty roughly. 

The private jet from Washington had been amazing, and he’d enjoyed seeing Stef laughing and happy with his mother and sister. He wasn’t too sure about the sappy tweet Stef posted about them, but he let that slide - Nick loved his own family an equal amount, and understood the thought behind it. 

However, checking into a new hotel room was an unwelcome reminder that the magical last week he had enjoyed was over. He’d gone from a champion to just another first round player like everybody else. The worst part, though, was that the new pillows and sheets in the Montreal hotel room didn’t smell like Stefanos. That was the best and worst thing about tennis - no two weeks were ever the same. Most of the time that was a blessing, and offered him a fresh start - but when last week had been so perfect, leaving it behind felt even more difficult. 

To add insult to injury, Stef was staying in a different hotel than Nick for this tournament. Nick had just seen Stef’s room through Liza’s Instagram stories - Liza had shown Nick her account on the jet, and she was still in his recent searches - the apartment looked incredible. It had a large living space, in which Stef was lying on the floor in one of the videos, and the luxurious bathrooms were tiled with black marble.

When Nick and Stef had parted ways at the airport at around midday, Stef left him with a quick kiss on his cheek. Nick was chuffed by the display of affection in front of Stef’s family - it made him feel really special. 

But Nick had felt down ever since saying goodbye. He hadn’t felt like doing anything, so he had laid on the bed playing around on his phone for a while, and before he knew it, it was 7pm. 

While Nick was getting lost in his lonely mind, the object of these thoughts rang his phone. 

“Hey, stranger,” Stef laughed at the other end of the line. It had only been a couple of hours since they shared the jet ride, but to Nick it felt like years. 

“Stef, hey, I’ve missed you,” Nick admitted, before realising he may have sounded a bit desperate. 

Thankfully, Stef didn’t see it that way. “That’s sweet, I’ve missed you too. How’s your hotel?” Stef asked. 

Nick sighed. “Horrible. The room is super plain and there’s no Greek boyfriend waiting in my bed for me,” he joked. 

“Wow, that does sound terrible,” Stef laughed. “Not as easy to sneak out at night when you’re a whole block away, though,” he considered. “You could always come here?”

Nick couldn’t believe his ears. “You serious?”

“Of course I am,” Stef said. “You’re my boyfriend now, you’re not gonna sleep alone in a sad hotel room when you don’t want to,” he reasoned. 

Nick’s heart rate felt like it had doubled. “You’d tell your family?”

Stef shrugged, even though Nick couldn’t see him. “You’re worth it. This is worth it.”

“Have you guys had dinner?” Nick changed the subject abruptly. 

“Yeah, we just got home from a nice Italian restaurant,“ Stef replied. 

Nick hummed. “What about dessert?” 

“Nope, the cakes at the restaurant looked lovely but my mother was sure they’d been there for years,” Stef laughed. 

The sound made Nick’s heart melt. 

“We’re gonna play some card games now, you’re more than welcome, I’m sure of it,” Stef reiterated. 

Nick was totally overwhelmed by the feelings he had for Stef in that moment. 

“Can I bring anything for your family?” Nick asked. 

Stef laughed. “No way, just bring yourself, they already love you!” He responded. “Actually, pack a little bag with pyjamas and your toothbrush,” Stef added thoughtfully. 

“You’ll actually let me stay over? In your family apartment?” Nick was incredulous. 

Stef scoffed. “Of course, you dummy! Just come over, I’m waiting, loveyoubye!” He rushed out and hung up the phone.

Nick was left staring at his blank phone screen in confusion. Had Stef really just said he loved Nick? Nick shook his head, telling himself it must’ve been habit from phone calls with family. 

Doing as he was told, Nick gathered up some pyjamas, clean underwear in case he had a shower, his toiletries and phone charger. He remembered with a pang when he used to pack a bag like this to go for sleepovers at Thanasi’s all those years ago. 

On the way out, he turned off the lights and headed to the lift, descending to the lobby. He knew he could walk to Stef’s apartment - it would take about ten minutes. 

On the way, Nick stopped at a convenience store. He went to the ice cream freezer and picked up a bar of mango ice cream, which he knew was Stef’s favourite. He had to guess at Stef’s parents and Elizavet’s preferences, though - he bought one bar of chocolate for himself, and for the three family members he picked up one bar of rainbow, one mint, and another chocolate - he figured they could choose among themselves. 

When he reached the lobby of Stef’s hotel, he started to feel anxious. What had Stef told them about the pair of them? 

***  
Upstairs, Stef was bubbling with nerves. “I’ve gotta tell you something,” he told his mother while they were alone. 

Yulia had been helping unpack Elizavet’s suitcase, and turned to sit on her daughter’s bed, looking at Stef calmly. She nodded and smiled, encouraging him to continue. 

He began. “Nick and I are-“ 

“Oh, darling, I know about that,” Yulia grabbed at Stef’s hand gently. 

“You- what?!” Stef spluttered. 

“Your dad hasn’t worked it out, but I did, when I saw you two together after your match. You‘ve never been so comfortable around someone who’s beaten you on the court before, let alone right after...” she explained. “I haven’t said anything to your father or sister, though, it’s all up to you,” she said gently. 

Stef was totally relieved. She knew, and she was happy. But he hadn’t yet mentioned their plans for tonight. 

“There’s something else... he’s pretty lonely so I offered for him to come around and play games with us tonight, is that alright?” He asked. 

Yulia smiled. “Of course it is, my Lion,” she stood up to reach for his cheek. 

He smiled at the childhood pet name. 

“You’re an adult now, we’re happy if you are, and it looks like you make him happy as well,” she said kindly. 

At this point, Stef’s phone rang. 

“He’s always welcome,” she reiterated, exiting the room to allow him to take the call. 

Unsurprisingly, it was Nick. 

“I’m in the lobby,” Nick said in lieu of a greeting. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Nick, you’re coming to our apartment, not taking me away to live with you in Vanuatu,” Stef joked. “I’ve spoken to my mother, she knows we’re together, and she’s happy.”

Relief washed over Nick like a tsunami. He’d been worrying himself sick that Stef’s family would hate him - or his media-invented reputation. 

“I’m in room 611,” Stef continued, “I’ll press the button here and let you up.”

Nick thanked him and headed for the elevator. 

When he reached floor six and knocked on the door, Stef greeted him with a chaste kiss on the lips. 

Nick was pleasantly surprised by the welcome. 

“Hello to you, too,” Nick grinned as Stef ushered him inside. “Hope you’re still hungry for dessert?” Nick fumbled his hand around in the paper bag and presented one of the ice cream bars. 

Stef was touched. “Nick, you didn’t need to bring anything! But thank you,” he gave Nick another swift peck. 

Yulia entered the living space from one of the side rooms. “Nick! How are you, darling?” She rushed to Nick and gave him a kiss on the cheek, which made Nick feel very welcome. 

“Better now,” Nick smiled, “I hope you guys want ice cream?” 

As it turned out, the ice cream was a huge hit with the Tsitsipas family, and Nick was beginning to feel at home among them. 

Stef suggested they all play UNO, and the first few rounds went by without a hitch. However, an issue arose when Nick wanted to stack a +4 with another +4 to make Stef draw 8. 

“You can’t do that!” Elizavet exclaimed. 

Nick was shocked. “What?! We always do that at home!”

Stef shook his head. “House rules, Nick,” he said with a laugh, handing Nick’s +4 card back to him. “You need to draw 4.”

“This is ridiculous,” Nick sighed, but did as he was told. 

Apostolos ended up winning that game, and the next one. Before the third match, Elizavet demanded her father didn’t play any more. 

“Hey, don’t be a bad loser,” Apostolos chided. To prove his point, he dealt himself into the third match despite her protests. 

As the youngest sibling, Nick had been in Liza’s position many times in his childhood. She was seated to his right, and wasn’t doing a great job of shielding the cards she had from his view. When he drew a +4 wildcard that he could see she desperately needed, he subtly feigned a yawn and placed the card in her lap. When she realised what he’d done, her eyes lit up with glee, but she tried to be subtle about it. 

Liza ended up winning the match, and she was delighted. She gave Nick a thrilled smile. 

After a few more games, of which Nick won a couple and Stef managed no wins, making him sulk, Apostolos decided he’d head to bed and left Yulia, Liza and the boys to their own devices. 

It was around 9:30pm, and they all sat on the couch watching Dr Phil reruns. During one particularly entertaining episode about a spoilt teenager, Elizavet dropped the question. 

“Are you guys together?” She asked, looking directly at Stef. 

Yulia gasped, and frowned at her daughter. “Liza, that’s private,” she began, but Stef cut her off. 

“Yeah,” Stef said simply. 

Nick was surprised by his bluntness. 

“Cool,” Liza said, seemingly satisfied by the answer. At that, she returned to watching videos on Tik Tok on her phone. 

At that point, Stef realised he hadn’t exactly broached the topic of Nick staying over with his family yet.

When Nick got up to use the bathroom in an ad break, Stef turned to his mother. 

“Is it alright if he stays over? He’s stuck all alone...” Stef trailed off. 

“Stef, you’re an adult, your company is your decision,” Yulia said diplomatically. “I don’t need to approve a sleepover, darling. For what it’s worth, he’s always welcome. He fits in well with our family,” she smiled. 

Stef breathed a big sigh of relief. 

“I like Nick,” Liza declared, and that seemed to be the deciding factor for all of them. 

A little while later, Yulia had headed to bed requesting that Liza do the same shortly after.

Stef expected Liza to resist bedtime as always, but she had fallen asleep on his shoulder soon after. 

He was willing to carry her to bed, but as he shifted, she woke up. 

“Come on, bedtime,” Stef encouraged. 

“But I wanna stay with you and Nick,” she protested sleepily. 

Nick was touched. 

“He’ll be here in the morning, and he’s tired as well, aren’t you, Nick?” Stef elbowed Nick’s ribcage. 

“Yeah, extremely,” Nick faked a yawn. 

Liza raised an eyebrow, but obliged. She stood up and gave Stef a kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight,” she wished him, and he stroked the top of her head lovingly. 

When she turned to Nick, she looked conflicted, unsure if they were on hugging terms. Nick took the initiative himself though, and opened his arms. “Come here,” he grinned, and gave her a friendly hug. 

“Goodnight,” she grinned, and headed towards her room. 

Stef called out before she left to ask if she wanted to take a glass of water, and she did, so he poured it for her. Stef gave her another quick hug and kiss before she shut her door. 

Then the boys were finally alone. 

“You adore her,” Nick acknowledged. 

Stef shrugged. “She’s not always travelling with us, it’s always special to see her.”

Nick smiled. “You’re such a good big brother. Makes you even more attractive.”

“Oh yeah?” Stef grinned, kissing Nick’s lips. 

“Mhmm,” Nick responded, deepening the kiss. 

Stef grabbed Nick’s hand and led him to his bedroom. “Come on, bedtime,” Stef declared. 

Once the boys had settled into bed, Stef brought up the UNO incident. He admitted he saw the whole card slip happen, because Nick was definitely not subtle. 

“Awh, I really thought we got away with it,” Nick sulked. “Reckon your dad was mad at me?”

“Absolutely not, we used to fix games just so she’d win when she was little,” Stef laughed. 

“She’s so lucky to have you,” Nick commented. “Come here though, I’ve missed you,” he whispered, scooting closer to Stef to kiss him. 

***  
The next morning, Nick was awoken with a shake of his shoulder. 

He looked at the shaker wearily - it was Stef, golden caramel curls framing his freshly awake face... and also scowling. 

“What’s wrong?” Nick grumbled. 

Stef indicated to something on his phone, but Nick was still too blurry-eyed from sleep to see. 

“Are you dating Bouchard’s twin sister?” Stef asked, voice full of worry. 

Nick couldn’t help but laugh. “Stef, what time is it?” 

“Six thirty, please answer me,” Stef pleaded. 

“Of course I’m not, I’m dating you, silly, don’t you remember?” Nick turned over so he could kiss Stef’s forehead. He followed it up with a light suck on the crook between Stef’s neck and shoulder, which elicited a quiet moan from the younger man. “Not ringing any bells?” Nick asked softly, leaning closer to suck on the end of Stef’s collarbone, right near his neck. 

After a few moments enjoying the feeling of Nick’s lips, Stef sighed. “What about this article?” He pressed the phone into Nick’s hand. 

Obligingly, Nick took Stef’s phone to have a quick read of the article, then handed it back. 

The picture worrying Stef was of Nick and the girl in question. “That was when I went out for dinner with a few of the American guys the other night in DC, remember?” Nick asked.

Stef shrugged, clearly still upset. He lay back down in bed, with his back turned to Nick. 

“Stef,” Nick whispered to the back of Stef’s neck, “you’re my boyfriend, I’m not seeing anyone else.” 

Stef didn’t respond. 

Nick sucked a soft mark on Stef’s neck, lapping over it with his tongue once his work was complete. It would be covered by Stef’s hair when he stood up. 

“Stef, baby, stop ignoring me, it’s not true,” Nick pleaded. 

Stef folded his arms and huffed. 

“Fine, if you wanna play, I’ll play,” Nick said. 

He lightly raked his short nails down Stef’s muscular back, making him shiver. He kissed Stef’s skin wherever he had access to it - his shoulder blades, his shoulders, his neck. Nick leaned even closer to kiss Stef’s cheek and jaw. 

At this, Stef rolled over onto his back and looked into Nick’s eyes. “I hate reading this shit about you, Nick,” Stef sighed. 

Nick exhaled. “Everyone’s always got something to say about me. I’m a story to them. They don’t know me,” Nick explained. He placed a lingering kiss to Stef’s lips now that he could reach them. “But you do. Those stories are fake, Stef, and what we have is real.”

Stef sighed again. “Promise?” The ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. 

Nick kissed the smile as soon as it appeared. “Promise,” he grinned at the childish idea. “Now, are we gonna get up and make breakfast, or are we gonna stay here and cuddle?” Nick asked. 

Stef didn’t answer with words - just rolled on top of Nick and kissed him fiercely.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I wasn’t sure about this one, but I figured I’d post it anyway. Hoping to start writing something better now... just have to decide which pairing ;) 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are invited and greatly appreciated!


End file.
